Levels of intermittent, renewable sources of energy for the electrical grids around the globe continue to grow. Power plants designed for more consistent, base load operation are under greater stress. In this recorded Power magazine webcast, Optimizing Level Control for Maximum Reliability and Efficiency in Combined Cycle and Coal Plants, Emerson’s Matthew Brummer joins moderator […]

The electrical power generation mix continues to shift to increasing natural gas usage due to growing supplies from shale gas production. In a Power article, How to Increase Power Plant Asset Reliability Using Modern Digital Technology, Emerson’s Juan Panama describes how combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants are using digital technologies to increase levels of […]

In combined cycle power plants: …the heat of the gas turbine’s exhaust is used to generate steam by passing it through a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) with a live steam temperature between 420 and 580 °C. The condenser of the Rankine cycle is usually cooled by water from a lake, river, sea or cooling […]

Author: Douglas Morris We all know that today’s plants must cycle more; that’s just the expected mode of operation. Keeping plants online with the ability to cycle, particularly cost-competitive combined cycle units, is a focus for most utilities and avoiding heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) tube failures is a good place to start. These failures […]

Author: Douglas Morris This past week, researchers at MIT were published in MIT News about a new approach to monetizing coal for power plants by combining coal gasification with fuel cell technology. By dovetailing these two systems, the research states that efficiencies could approach 60 percent, nearing those achieved in modern combined cycle plants. And, […]